South of Heaven, West of Hell (film)

South of Heaven, West of Hell
South of Heaven, West of Hell
	Film poster
Directed by	Dwight Yoakam
Written by	Dwight Yoakam; Stan Bertheaud; Otto Felix; Dennis Hackin
Produced by	Tony Brown; Dov Cohen; Otto Felix; Janet Fox-Kaufler; Gray Frederickson; Oscar Gubernati; Dennis Hackin; Darris Hatch; Carl Maza; Buck Owens; Abe Shainberg; Josh Shainberg; Jim Smith; James Smythe; Auri Spigelman; Jack Wegh
Starring	Dwight Yoakam; Billy Bob Thornton; Vince Vaughn; Bridget Fonda; Peter Fonda; Paul Reubens; Bud Cort; Michael Jeter; Bo Hopkins; Luke Askew; Joe Ely
Cinematography	James Glennon
Edited by	Robert A. Ferretti; Mike Murphy
Music by	Dwight Yoakam; (Additional music by Jim Latham)
Production; companies	Delta Deuce Films; Goldmount Pictures; Movie Mongrel; Trimark Pictures
Distributed by	August Entertainment; Blue steel Releasing; Emerald; Geneon Entertainment; Jigsaw Entertainment; Phaedra Cinema
Release date	January 28, 2000 (Slamdance); December 15, 2000 (United States);
Running time	132 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$28,149

South of Heaven, West of Hell is a 2000 American Western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory, when he receives a surprise visit from his outlaw adoptive father (Luke Askew) on Christmas Eve 1907.

The film premiered on the closing night of the 2000 Slamdance Film Festival,^[2] and released in theatres on December 15, 2000.^[3]

Plot[]

Cast[]

Dwight Yoakam as Valentine Casey
Billy Bob Thornton as Brig. Smalls
Vince Vaughn as Taylor Henry
Bridget Fonda as Adalyne Dunfries
Peter Fonda as Shoshonee Bill
Paul Reubens as Arvid Henry
Bud Cort as Agent Otts
Michael Jeter as Uncle Jude
Bo Hopkins as ‘Doc’ Angus Dunfries
Luke Askew as Leland Henry
Joe Ely as Petrified Paul

Production[]

Shortly before production began, the financier backed out and Yoakam made the decision to finance the film on his own, partially through the sale of his home in Malibu.^[4] His production company (A Cast of Strays) ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and several crew members registered complaints with unions and filed lawsuits in small claims court against the company. Yoakam said it was "the hardest experience I've ever gone through in my professional life in terms of executing art".^[5] To help pay off the debt accrued while making the movie, Yoakam hired a cheaper backing band in 2002, which resulted in a falling out with his longtime producer, bandleader, and guitarist Pete Anderson.^[6]

Reception[]

As of July 2020, South of Heaven, West of Hell holds a 14% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on seven reviews with an average rating of 3.46 out of 10.^[7] Robert Koehler of Variety said that the film "lacks the critical ingredients of shape, consistent tone, rhythm and economy that would make this truly old-fashioned oater into a lean, compelling adventure". He added that "there's no grace to the interplay of images and emotions. At every step, the filmmakers seem unable to pull off an exaggerated horse opera, and they never know when to pull the plug on scenes that are going nowhere".^[8] Writing for Film Threat, Michael Dequina said in his review that "watching Yoakam's film...is like eating a shit sandwich. The title may be a cutesy joke describing someplace close to hell, but make no mistake—this film is hell."^[9]

References[]

^ "South of Heaven, West of Hell". Box Office Mojo.
^ "DAILY NEWS: Slamdance Closer; Finishing Funds". Indie Wire. January 12, 2000. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
^ "Yoakam's 'South of Heaven' Ends Up Going Over the Top". Los Angeles Times. December 15, 2000. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
^ Collis, Clark (October 4, 2000). "A fistful of dollars". The Guardian. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ "Movie-Making Experience a "Little Bit of Hell" for Yoakam". CMT. August 8, 2003. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ Baldwin, Brent (August 2, 2011). "For Pete's Sake". Style Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ "South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
^ Koehler, Robert (December 18, 2000). "Review: 'South of Heaven, West of Hell'". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ Dequina, Michael (December 26, 2000). "South of Heaven, West of Hell". Film Threat. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2016.

External links[]

[1] "South of Heaven, West of Hell". Box Office Mojo.

[2] "DAILY NEWS: Slamdance Closer; Finishing Funds". Indie Wire. January 12, 2000. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

[3] "Yoakam's 'South of Heaven' Ends Up Going Over the Top". Los Angeles Times. December 15, 2000. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

[4] Collis, Clark (October 4, 2000). "A fistful of dollars". The Guardian. Retrieved April 3, 2016.

[5] "Movie-Making Experience a "Little Bit of Hell" for Yoakam". CMT. August 8, 2003. Retrieved April 3, 2016.

[6] Baldwin, Brent (August 2, 2011). "For Pete's Sake". Style Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2016.

[7] "South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

[8] Koehler, Robert (December 18, 2000). "Review: 'South of Heaven, West of Hell'". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2016.

[9] Dequina, Michael (December 26, 2000). "South of Heaven, West of Hell". Film Threat. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2016.

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